The Waldorf M synth is now available with 16 voices, and you can update your existing hardware
The expansion board ain’t cheap, though
Released in 2021, Waldorf’s M synth combined digital wavetable oscillators with an analogue amp and filters, giving it hybrid status. If its eight voices of polyphony weren’t enough for you, though, we have good news: a new 16-voice version has just landed.
If you’re an existing user, we can confirm that you add these extra voices to your current rig via an expansion board. You can fit this yourself and, as the video below demonstrates, it doesn’t look particularly difficult.
What you might be less pleased to hear is that the board will set you back €699, so it’s not exactly a no-brainer add-on. If you’ve been craving those additional Waldorf M voices, though, it’s certainly an elegant solution.
Otherwise, the M remains the same as before, offering - as we said in our review - “the ultimate modern, yet authentically realised, take on a classic approach to synthesis”. It offers two wavetable playback modes (Classic and Modern), the filters sounds great, and you can even import patches from the classic Microwave synth.
The 16-voice version of the Walforf M costs €2,308. Find out more on the Waldorf website.
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.